Irrelevant
by Key the Metal Idol
Summary: Slash. Alternate scene after Jacob meets Jack, as told to Richard, post season 5. Jacob/Jack Richard/Jack


**A/N: **For_**lostfichallenge**_** #97, Jacob. **I've been meaning to write this one for a while—I can't be the only one who figured Jack thought Jacob was hitting on him!

* * *

Jack paced back and forth impatiently at the entrance to Richard's tent, "Richard? Can I talk to you?"

"Come in," Richard said and hoped he didn't sound as annoyed as he felt. Richard rubbed his eyelids, he needed rest. These people had shown up from thirty years in the past when he'd been sure he'd watched them die. Then, after a comment from Reyes it had eventually come out that at one time or another, each of them had met Jacob. Jacob, who had just been killed by a man who had once been their leader. Richard had been doing his job for a long time, and this was unprecedented.

Jack walked inside then hesitated, he hadn't felt comfortable bringing it up in front of the group, but Jack thought at least he should tell Richard in case it was important, "About what we were talking about earlier? I left out a couple things."

Richard sighed, "Like what? You said something about trying to get a candy bar?" He held out an empty hand, motioning for him to continue.

"Pretty much everything that came after that, so—" and Jack explained.

***

"I guess it just needed a little push," Jacob handed over the Apollo bar, touching Jack's hand.

Jack stared at the stranger oddly, what did he mean? He had almost resolved to ignore it, maybe it had been unintentional? Jack saw his father disappear through the doors out of the corner of his eye, and instead of following him, he stopped and turned back.

"I get off in two hours...if you..." Jack's eyes darted up to see surprise in the man's eyes. He swallowed hard. "See you," _or not_. He wouldn't hold his breath on whether the guy would show up, Jack had probably gotten the wrong idea.

Jacob was amused—even he was surprised every now and then. He might as well enjoy it, or else he'd end up as stuck in his ways as his friend back home. Jacob ate his chocolate bar, drank a cup of revolting coffee, and read some outdated magazines in the waiting room. Not the most interesting things he'd ever done, but his patience was rewarded when Jack emerged in his street clothes, ready to bolt for the exit.

Jacob put down the magazine he was reading, "Change your mind?"

Today seemed like the day for finding new and interesting ways to disappoint his father, so Jack looked around nervously, and hoped the nurses weren't paying attention to him, "No... No, we can go."

Jacob got up and walked over to Jack, steering him towards the parking lot, "Did you drive? I take a lot of taxis."

"Yeah, my car is..." Jack's face wrinkled in thought, "I hope you don't live in California if you're taking taxis everywhere."

Jacob led Jack directly to his car, which should have seemed odd because it was parked quite a way out, but Jack was too distracted to notice. "No, I don't live around here. I've been staying at the Hotel Bel-Air."

Jack fumbled for his key chain and unlocked the doors with the remote, propping the driver's door open, "Do you want to go there?"

"You're the driver Jack—the only person who can decide what you want, is you," Jacob got in the passenger's side, smiling up at an indecisive Jack as he shut the door.

Jack got in, trying not to slam the door behind him. He didn't know why he was so nervous, he'd been with other men before. Sure, Christian had been on the other side of the country with no way of finding out at the time, but did it really make a difference?

Jack gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white, "What's your name?"

"Jacob," he said, looking completely at ease.

"I'm Jack."

"I know you are."

There was something in the way he'd said it that made all the tension drain out of Jack. He forgot about being worried, about embarrassing himself in the operating room, about fixing anything or anyone, and leaned over to kiss Jacob.

After that Jack vaguely recalled driving to the hotel and somehow making it to Jacob's room. Everything that happened when they were together seemed fuzzy around the edges to Jack—he'd have compared it to being drugged, but there was really no comparison. He remembered that they hadn't used any protection at all, and how out of character that was for him. Jack tended towards paranoia, as ex-boyfriends and girlfriends would attest, but it wasn't even a thought. He'd woken up alone the next morning with a hot breakfast waiting and a note telling him the room was paid for if he didn't feel like working that day.

Jack had shoved an egg and a couple strips of bacon between toast and ran for the exit. He managed to get it eaten in traffic, barely making it on time to his shift, still wearing yesterday's clothes. Jack forgot about Jacob and everything else that had happened until Hurley had brought it up earlier that day.

***

"Does it mean anything, Richard?" Jack was pacing again, and trying to avoid making eye contact.

Richard walked up behind Jack and put a hand on his shoulder to stop his pacing, "The only man who could have told you that was Jacob, and he's gone."

Jack started to turn towards the exit, "Right. Sorry, I'll just—"

He walked in front of Jack and put hands on both of his shoulders, but Richard's eyes stopped Jack more forcefully than his hands ever could have, "If you stay, Jack, I'll still be here in the morning." After all this time, Richard wanted something for himself. If Jacob could have a night, surely...

It was time for Jack to stop worrying about what everyone else wanted—not just for a night, "I'll stay."


End file.
